The Anglo-Saxons first tried invading Britain in the 4th century but the Roman army chased them away. When the Romans left in around 410AD, the Anglo-Saxons quickly seized the opportunity and sailed over to Britain on wooden boats.

Many of the Anglo-Saxons were farmers from Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. They were looking for new land to farm. They liked the forests of Britain and looked for places with lots of natural resources to build their homes. They surrounded their villages with big fences to keep wild animals from eating their cattle and to protect them from enemies.

The Anglo-Saxons weren’t used to the stone buildings of the Romans, they preferred wooden huts with straw roofs. Some tribes built their homes inside the walls of Roman towns like London. Typical Anglo-Saxon houses had one room which the family shared. 


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The biggest houses in the villages belonged to the chief. It was big enough to house all his warriors with him. It had a long hall with a fireplace in the middle.

Each Anglo-Saxon village was named after the leader of the tribe. Reading, for example, would have been Redda’s village with Redda as the chief.

The three Anglo-Saxon tribes settled in different areas. The Jutes settled in Kent, the Angles in East Anglia and the Saxons in Essex, Wessex, Sussex and Middlesex (living in the east, west, south and middle of the region). 

Seven major kingdoms were formed in these areas: Northumbria, East Anglia, Essex, Sussex, Kent, Wessex and Mercia. They often fought against each other.

The Anglo-Saxons had their own gods which they prayed to for help in battle, for a good harvest and for health. Wade was the god of the sea and Tiw was the god of war. The country became known for its continuous battles and had a terrible reputation.

The Pope of Rome sent a monk called Augustine to go to England in 597AD and teach the Anglo-Saxons about Christianity. Augustine convinced King Ethelbert of Kent to become Christian. Eventually, the rest of the country converted too. Soon wooden churches appeared all over Britain.

A lot of what we know today about the Anglo-Saxons was recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. These chronicles were started by King Alfred the Great to record yearly events. 


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Archaeologists have also discovered many things about the Anglo-Saxons from old settlements they found. We know they kept pigs, sheep and cattle and grew wheat, barley and oats to make bread and porridge.

They enjoyed feats, listening to harp music and playing board games like draughts and chess. Children had wooden toys of horses and boats.

Men wore long-sleeved tunics with decorated patterns and women wore an underdress made of linen or wool with an outer dress on top. Shoes were usually made of leather and animal fat was used for oil lamps. Nothing went to waste. 

 

Did you know?

Many towns and villages today still have Anglo-Saxon names. 'England' comes from the Saxon word 'Angle-Land'.